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Bartem Erred
Bartem Erred is the current head of the House of Erred. He is the seventeenth Earl of Callinshire and Lord Governor of the South. Bartem is not a king's man and has mostly ruled his Province autonomous of the king. Bartem was born in 510 AR, the third and youngest son of Lucan Erred and Yasmen Canter. He is married to Jorna, eldest child of the late Lord Edar Mallory, his former tutor. Together they have six children. He also has a bastard son, Tem. Biography Early Life Bartem was never raised to be a lord. He was, at the time of his birth, third in line to his family's titles. By the age of seventeen he was fifth in line. As such he was raised to fight in his father's armies. At the age of fourteen, in 524, Bartem was sent to be his uncle, Lord Tridian Canter's squire. However the man was old and died just before he turned sixteen. He was then sent to squire for Edar Mallory, Lord Governor of the North. During his brief time with Edar his marital ability improved dramatically. Bartem learned swiftly from his master and was eventually knighted. Edar offered to make Bartem the captain of his guard but he refused, stating he was needed in his father's armies. It was also during this time he fathered Bartem "Tem" Halfson with one of Lord Edar's maids. He agreed to raise the boy and brought him to Callinkay. Military Career Bartem returned to the south in 527 AR and was given the rank of Captain in the Southern Legion. He led the Second Company in the First Regiment of Foot under his cousin, Knight-Commander Sir Tebald Canter. At the age of eighteen, Bartem's eldest brother, Owin, died in a hunting accident. This left the middle brother, Rufin, to take on the role of the military responsibilities of the heir as Owin's young son, Haywick, was only seven at the time. After Owin's death, Rufin replaced his brother as Lord Commander of the Southern Legion and thus made Commander of the First Regiment of Horse. Bartem was chosen as his replacement as the Commander of the Third Regiment of Horse. This position allowed Bartem to go out onto his first campaign whee he led a victorious charge against a rebellious knight, Sir Reckart Greeve near Kaytown. This effort made Bartem a renowned and respected figure amongst the nobility of the South, and allowed him to forge a strong relationship with his comrade and friend, Lord Aldo Kay. During his time with the Legion, Bartem was married to Jorna, Lord Edar's daughter, to whom he had grown close and taken a liking toward (despite his dalliance that resulted in Tem's birth). They were married in 529 shortly after Jorna turned fifteen and thus of marriageable age. Tragedy struck again in 530 when Bartem was twenty. During a celebration of Lord Lucan's birthday; Lord Lucan, Lady Yasmen, Haywick, Delira (Haywick's mother and Owin's widow), Rufin, Darrion (Rufin's son), and Junia (Darrion's mother and Rufin's wife) along with thirty or so servants and a dozen courtiers died in a shipwreck aboard the ''Blue Fury, ''Lord Lucan's personal ship. Heartbroken and confused, Bartem was forced to take up the mantle of his family and rebuild his life. He left his regiment in the hands of Lord Aldo and set to work ruling the Province. Lordship Bartem soon began to build up his inner circle. He mostly left the Southern Legion as it was in terms of command structure. He made his cousin, Sir Tebald Canter, acting Lord Commander. Despite leaving the military - an area in which he was already well involved - alone, Bartem sifted through each member of his court individually. He removed many sycophants of his fathers whilst replacing them with those with whom he had served. Aldo Kay, whilst still retaining command of the Third Cavalry Regiment, was brought in as Bartem's right hand man. The Earls: Perris Olgin, Hamill Sander, and Anden Pestrin were all given roles within the South's political structure. Mostly these were token roles for the earls themselves but some of their family were given more substantial offices. For example, Ivon Sander, who was Lucan's Recorder of the Deeds was made Bartem's Secretary. Bartem established a close ally with his former Serjeant, Erne Ninefingers. Erne was made Bartem's Reeve. As Reeve Erne was entrusted to ensure the shire's laws were followed. Category:Characters